Yeah, for red meat, or poultry with the skin on, it's a good idea to brown it in a pan with a little butter or oil just to give it the seared taste and a better appearance. (Actually the flashiest way to brown something that's come out of a sous vide is to hit it with a torch, which has the added benefit of adding no fat. I kind of want one -- it'd also be nice for creme brulee -- but haven't quite been that self-indulgent yet. ;) ) But a naked chicken breast is delicate enough that that'd mess up the nice texture. So I think a sauce to pretty it up is the way to go. (Also, possibly, juicing and zesting the lemons instead of including whole slices, so that they won't deform the shape.)

The texture is unbelievable, really quite different from any other chicken I've had (although I've never had really perfectly poached chicken, because I'm an inexpert poacher, so it may be similar to that; I don't know). The lamb chop was like a perfectly done grilled lamb chop -- excellent, but more like a really good version of what I'm used to. This is something else entirely. It's not rare -- it's cooked through, as you can see from the fact that it's pale and opaque -- but the difference is akin to the difference between rare steak and well-done steak. It's juicier and more tender, and without the strong graining that comes from cooking meat fibers to well-done.

Tomorrow's experiment is salmon! I'm told that fish sous vide is even more unique than chicken, so I'm looking forward to that. It won't need much seasoning, but I am contemplating a crumble of nori, and maybe a tiny smidge of pickled ginger...